


Daughter In All But Name

by Asdrator



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Soen no Kiseki/Akatsuki no Megami | Fire Emblem Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn
Genre: Angst, Comedy, F/F, F/M, M/M, Post-Canon, Romance, Zelgius lives AU, aka Sanaki has two gay dads and two gay moms
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:53:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24227638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Asdrator/pseuds/Asdrator
Summary: Slowly, year by year, a family forms around Sanaki Kirsch Altina. This is the story of how she got to know each of her parental figures, and how they came to treasure her and each other so deeply.
Relationships: Sanaki Kirsch Altina/Topuck | Tormod, Sephiran/Zelgius (Fire Emblem), Sigrun/Tanith (Fire Emblem)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 19





	Daughter In All But Name

When Sephiran first met Sanaki, she was only 5 years old. Only 5 years old, with a world full of troubles forced upon her. It had been 15 years since he had been allowed to meet one of his descendants, the captive so-called ‘apostles’ of this thrice-damned country of Begnion. Before her, he sank to his knees, his hands trembling. Her face showed she did not yet comprehend the danger she was in. Just like her grandmother, in that way.

“Sanaki, forgive me...” He half murmured, half-sobbed. If it hadn’t been for him, Misaha would be... she would be alright. His precious descendant would still be alive. This whole mess was all his fault. Maybe the world didn’t need the Three Heroes around anymore, if Serenes was the sort of disasters was what their presence wrought. Perhaps it would be better if he-

All of a sudden, Sephiran found each of his index fingers grabbed by small, delicate hands, and he looked up, the flow of his tears stopping. Before him, Sanaki looked radiant, a sunbeam in the darkness. “Why would I be angry?” The little empress’s innocent question struck a chord with Sephiran. Why should they be angry with him, or with any heron? He should be the one angry at them, furious at the slaughter of his people.

“No reason, Sanaki. And... thank you.” He embraced his descendant, his gentle arms wrapping around her easily. The deaths of the heron, of their branded, the suffering of all Laguz- they would all be avenged. He would wake Ashera, and oversee her cold judgement personally. That would be a satisfying revenge, indeed. He gave the empress one last squeeze, then let go. Sephiran wiped the tears off his face and smiled at her. Above all, he would be sure to protect this caring child despised by the powerful simply for her birth. “Thank you, and I look forward to working with you. Let’s get to know each other, shall we?”  
——————————————————  
Sigrun first met Sanaki when the apostle was 6. Having finally won out against the senate-backed wyvern riders, Sigrun had been appointed the head of the apostle’s guard. One of the first things Sigrun noticed was how Prime Minister Sephiran, while not quite never leaving Sanaki’s side, was never very far if he could help it. Currently, he seemed to be playing chess with the young apostle. Anyone carefully paying attention, as Sigrun was, would notice he was clearly letting her win, with a smile on his face that was almost fatherly in how familial it was.

“Checkmate!” Sanaki cried out with a giggle. Sephiran’s smile only grew more pleased. “I win again!” Unable to contain her excitement, Sanaki leapt out of her chair and started dancing across the room. However, along the way, she bumped into Sigrun and fell over. “Sorry, you okay?” Sanaki’s curious yellow eyes looked up at Sigrun, as if attempting to recognize her.

“I should be the one asking you that, your highness.” Sigrun kneeled down and offered Sanaki a hand with a small smile. “My name is Sigrun. I have the honor of guarding you from now on.” When the apostle took her hand, Sigrun pulled her to her feet. “With that in mind, is their anything you need from me, your highness?”

“Hmm...” Sanaki hummed, considering the offer. “Ah, I know! Stop calling me ‘your highness’, only weird and gross people like the senators do that, so it’s weird and gross.” Taken aback at that, Sigrun looked over to Sephiran for help. However, he seemed equally surprised, albeit very amused. “Besides, we’re friends now, right? You said you’ll be around from now on, so we should be friends.” It was more a statement of fact than a request. Sigrun knew Sanaki be an amazing ruler when she grew up.

“Very well... Sanaki.” Sigrun said the words carefully but warmly. “We’ll be friends. Though I’ll still have to call you ‘your highness’ in front of the senators. Ok?” Sanaki nodded her head vigorously in agreement, and Sigrun found it hard to resist the temptation to ruffle the apostle’s hair, though resist she did.

As she stood up, Sigrun couldn’t help but think to herself that if she ever had a daughter, she’d want her to be something like Sanaki.  
——————————————————  
When Zelgius first met Sanaki, she was 7 years old. He had been working with, and then loving, Sephiran for years by that point, but he had simply never had the chance to meet the young Apostle. Now, as General Zelgius of Begnion, he had been invited to meet with Sanaki. Sephiran had advised him to dress appropriately, but Zelgius was confused by what that meant. Was full plate armor not appropriate for meeting with the apostle? Surely she would appreciate him being ready to deal with an attack at any moment. 

Sephiran, however, had wearily told him that he could not walk into the apostle’s bedroom prepared for battle, lest people think he was there to kill her. Zelgius still thought it was a silly rule, but he complied and wore a formal suit that felt strange to him on his body. He had thought that perhaps it was too thin to provide adequate defense against a hidden assassin, but when he brought this up, Sephiran had just kissed him and told him to follow him to the apostle’s room.

In the apostle’s room, Zelgius saw the apostle Sanaki drinking tea with Sigrun, head of the apostle’s pegasus guard. A perfectly ordinary sight; perhaps the young apostle was more mature than she looked “Good morning, your majesty.” He said, catching their attention. “I am Zelgius, general of Begnion, Earl of Kadohl, and I have arrived to serve-“ Before he could finish speaking, the apostle had already gotten out of her chair and run up to him, giving him as big a hug as she could muster. However, as she only came up to his thigh, it looked more like she was some strange animal hanging from his leg, earning giggles from Sigrun and Sephiran. “Ahem.” Zelgius said in an attempt to bring the apostle back to her senses, to no avail.

After a few more seconds, Sanaki let go, and beamed up at him with wide eyes. “Mr Zelgius! I’ve heard so much about you! Sephiran talks about you lots!” This earned further laughter from Sigrun, and an embarrassed sigh from Sephiran. Zelgius, however, was only mildly confused. What exactly had Sephiran said about him? “He said you both love each other a ton. He’s like my dad, so if you get married, would you be like my dad too?” By this point, Sigrun was laughing her lungs out, and Sephiran rolled his eyes, though with a smile.

“I cannot be like your father, Sanaki.” Zelgius answered, even more confused. “He is dead, I am not. That is a very big difference.”

An awkward silence filled the room, then: “It seems like that really went over your head, my love.” Sephiran said, sighing. He loved Zelgius for his obliviousness, but it came back to bite sometimes.

“Nothing goes over my head. My reflexes are too quick. I would catch it.” Zelgius replied without a hint of irony. That made Sigrun and Sephiran both laugh at how ridiculous it sounded, to Zelgius’s great confusion. Sanaki, however, just stared up at him, wide eyed. “That’s so cool!” She exclaimed. “So if somebody fired an arrow at you...?”

“I would catch it and break it, yes.” There wasn’t even a hint of pride in Zelgius’s voice, only straightforward consideration of the question. Zelgius had never been one for pride, Sephiran mused, at least not since he had met him. Perhaps the inherent wariness that came with being a branded in a world of beorc and laguz had drained it out of him. No matter what the reason, his humility gave him strength, and was one of many reasons why Sephiran loved him.

“Hey, so if you’re that strong and fast, can you give me a piggyback ride?” Zelgius blinked, once, twice, three times. Surely he had misheard the apostle. “Sephiran’s not strong enough, and Sigrun isn’t tall enough to make it fun.” Neither Sephiran nor Sigrun looked hurt by her words. Rather, they looked up at Zelgius, intrigued as to his response. “C’mon, it’ll be lots of fun!” The little apostle pleaded.

With a roll of his eyes, Zelgius turned around and kneeled bringing him down just enough for Sanaki to wrap her arms around his neck. “Very well. Where would you like to go, your majesty?”

“Uhhh...” For once, Sanaki seemed to be at a loss for words. “Nowhere special, I guess. Just walk around the castle carrying me.” Zelgius hesitated and looked to his lover for advice. “She likes to feel tall. Just take her to the throne room and back.” Sephiran whispered. Nodding, Zelgius stood, placing his hands under each of Sanaki’s tiny legs to give her stability, and set off. He walked and walked and walked, reaching the throne room where the corrupt nobles gave him and the apostle bewildered looks as she stuck her tongue out at them, then started the walk back. About halfway there, she yawned, and murmured: “I love you, Dad 2.” She immediately proceeded to fall asleep.

Maybe, he thought, just maybe, Ashera’s judgement could wait just a little longer.  
———————————————————  
Tanith met the revered apostle of Begnion when the girl was all of 8 years old. She had been newly appointed deputy leader of the Begnion pegasus knights, and therefore second in command of the apostle’s guard. It came as little surprise to Tanith; like she always told the junior pegasus knights, hard work paid off, and she worked as hard as anyone. As for why she worked so hard, part of it was her strong sense of duty, and part of it was... in a word, Sigrun.

It was impossibly irritating how her superior seemed to only get more and more beautiful with each passing day. Her soft lips, her gorgeous long hair, her green eyes that sparkled with humor, and her pale skin that seemed fragile as a flower but possessed a grip of steel when needed. Sigrun was Tanith’s ideal woman, and it was damn annoying. No matter how she tried, Tanith couldn’t stop thinking about Sigrun, every other moment of the day. This, she supposed, was what it felt like to fall in love, and she hated it.

Entering the apostle’s bedroom, Tanith noticed the apostle sat on her bed, which was clearly intended for a larger occupant, with a tray of food in front of her. With effort, she successfully managed to push thoughts of Sigrun out of her mind, and keep her voice passionless. “Apostle Sanaki, I have come at your request.” Tanith announced, kneeling before the bed of the child apostle. “What is it that you desire of me?” To her confusion, Tanith only heard a patting sound in response, and looked up to see Sanaki reaching to pat the side of the bed next to the opposite side of the food tray.

“Ah, you wish to share a meal with me. I am honored, but are you sure? Certainly Lord Sephiran or... Lady Sigrun, would be much more suited for this.” Sanaki shook her head vigorously, and swallowed the food she was chewing so she could speak. It seemed that Lord Sephiran had taught her some manners, at least. “Then, pardon the question, but... why me?”

Sanaki looked at Tanith as if she had just been asked what color the sky was. “Isn’t it obvious? It’s cause you got promoted, silly? That should be celebrated!” The apostle licked off her fingers in a very unladylike manner, while Tanith stood in stunned silence, before continuing. “So I was thinking, we should have the celebration party before the parade, right? Or do you think it should be the other way around? I’ve personally always preferred parties, but-“

Tanith cleared her throat, the look on her face going from bewildered to anxious. “You honor me greatly, Apostle, but I have no need for a party or a parade. This much, having lunch with you, is plenty.” Big events like parties and parades had always made Tanith nervous anyways, ones about her doubly so. She made a mental side note to ask Sephiran teach Sanaki to be less generous, lest she end up an extravagant tyrant. Too much of a good thing sometimes ended up a bad thing, after all.

Noticing something on Sanaki’s face, Tanith blinked and took a napkin from the tray of food. “Please stay still just a moment, Apostle.” Tanith expertly wiped the food crumbs off of Sanaki’s face. “There we go.” She said, with a slight, triumphant smile. Sanaki, at first irritated by the sensation of the crumbs being wiped off, saw the smile out of the corner of an eye. “Ah! You smiled! I’ve never seen you smile before!” Sanaki’s excitement about it caused Tanith to blush and frown. “With all due respect, Apostle Sanaki, we’ve only met once before, so you can hardly make a judgem-.” The words were out of Tanith’s mouth before she could stop them, and the pegasus knight looked down at the bedsheets and covered her mouth out of shame. “Kindly forgive me, your holy majesty Apostle Sanaki.” Tanith muttered, her tone meek and her words formal.

Tanith looked up again a moment later when she heard to apostle giggle uncontrollably. “What, do you think I’ll execute you? For being right?” Before Tanith could interject, Sanaki sat up straight and looked Tanith in the eyes. “If I can’t make judgements about you so soon, then I’ll just have to get to know you better. Let’s be friends! No more of the formality nonsense, you can just call me Sanaki and I’ll just call you Tanith.”

“Er, with all due respect, Apostle Sanaki, I cannot. It would be improper of me to-“ Tanith was interrupted by Sanaki placing a finger on her mouth. “I already told you, all that’s nonsense. We’re friends, and there are no titles between friends. That’s final.” Tanith hesitated, then upon realizing she stood no chance of changing the apostle’s mind, gave up with a sigh. “Very well then. Nice to meet you, Apo- ah, Sanaki.” For some reason, saying the apostle’s name so casually felt warm and liberating, and it almost brought a smile to Tanith’s face. Almost.

Sanaki grinned, and happily returned to her lunch, content to have made a new friend. Tanith, in turn, ate off of her half of the plate. This continued, with minor chatter, over the course of an hour, and Tanith began to think the rest of the day might proceed relatively uneventfully. She could not have been more wrong. “Say, Tanith, rumor says that you have someone you’re interested in?” The young apostle asked innocently.

It took all Tanith had not to spit out her food. After coughing a few times her face a bright crimson, Tanith swallowed her food. “If this is about Sigrun, I keep telling people, we’re not dating!” Much as she wished it otherwise. Shut up brain, Tanith thought.

“Who said anything about Sigrun?” Sanaki’s voice grew devious. “I only said that I heard you were interested in somebody. So you’re in love with Sigrun?!” The apostle could hardly contain her excitement. Her childish grin grew wide across her face.

“Yeah. Yeah, I am.” Tanith said with an embarrassed groan. Sanaki’s joyous laughter at getting Tanith to admit her crush on Sigrun carried throughout the hallway. More importantly, however, the conversation reached the ears of a certain person waiting outside the door: Sigrun herself.

“So Tanith is in love with me too...” Sigrun said to herself, a bright shade of red creeping up her face. “That makes everything much easier.”  
——————————————————  
It was five years later, some weeks after the defeat of Ashera and the restoration of the world. Rebuilding of war devastated cities went on without pause, and Begnion had been secularized, the apostle declared a ‘mere’ empress. Zelgius had been defeated and severely wounded in his fight with Ike, but for reasons known to none but himself, Ike decided to spare the general’s life. For him, for Sanaki’s other guardians, and for Sanaki herself, life moved on relentlessly. So, for that matter, did love. Sanaki had fallen in love with a boy named Tormod, former leader of a band of Laguz ex-slave rebels and current advisor to the empress on laguz affairs, and he returned her feelings. Today, they left for their first date. Tormod, Sephiran, and Tanith waited by the entrance as Sigrun got Sanaki ready.

“Let me make one thing clear.” Tanith looked Tormod dead in the eyes, and jabbed a finger into his chest. “If you break her heart, I will break your ribs. Am I understood?” Tormod nodded eagerly, backing away from Tanith nervously. It was good to know that she could still intimidate people. It came in handy, especially when she meant it, like now.

As Tanith walked away from the young mage, Sephiran approached Tormod. “Don’t worry about Tanith.” He laughed lightly. “She just can’t bear to watch Sanaki go on her first date and is worrying about what could go wrong, resulting in her taking it out on you. Besides, you should be glad. If Zelgius were here, he’d have broken your knees just for having the audacity to ask Sanaki out on a date. He’s the most overprotective by far.”

Tormod shuddered at the ancient heron’s words. “Speaking of which, how is Zelgius?” The boy asked, frowning as he remembered the condition the general had been in after losing to Ike.

“He’s still in the hospital, I’m afraid, but he’s improving slowly. Soon, he’ll be able to walk again, which is a good sign. Once he’s able to travel again, we’ll be moving to Serenes Forest together. You’re welcome to visit any time.” Sephiran stopped to reconsider for a moment. “Well, unless you have a bad falling out with Sanaki, in which case I will flay you alive personally.” Sephiran’s eternally serene tone made it impossible for Tormod to tell whether he was joking. He decided not to risk it.

The door to the room opened, and through it walked Sanaki, and behind her the ever loyal Sigrun. Tanith walked up to give Sigrun, now her wife, a kiss on the cheek, and they held hands as they watched Tormod and Sanaki start chatting happily, Sigrun with a smile and Tanith with a frown. Sephiran looked at their wedding rings with a smile, then turned to see Sanaki’s excited expression, as she walked out the door, hand in hand with Tormod. Perhaps, once Zelgius got better, they would get married as Sigrun and Tanith did, just to gather their ‘family’ one last time. Perhaps, but not any day soon.

Because for right now, Sephiran was content with every day being about Sanaki, his cherished daughter in all but name.


End file.
